Generally, a mushroom contains lower fat but higher protein and saccharide contents than any other plant. The saccharide also includes trehalose, mannitol, arabinose and the like together with polysaccharide that are hard to absorb into human intestinal tracts and of which main component is an indigestible dietary fiber. Therefore, mushroom is a food material having lower calories than those calculated by food analysis. Furthermore, ergosterol and calcium are commonly included in an amount of 100-800 mg per an individual, and they are conversed into vitamin D2 when dried. In addition to said ingredients, mushroom contains vitamin B1, vitamin B2 and niacin, not vitamins A and C. Also, as minerals, K is included in a higher portion than Na therein, and P, Ca and Fe follow. Flavorous ingredients of mushroom are mainly nucleic acid and a combination of glutamic acid, succinic acid, malic acid, uric alcohol, etc. Therefore, mushroom is a food material not only having low calories and capable of exerting physiological functions, but also excellent in flavor, taste and gustatoriness.
However, mushroom includes so large amounts of water and nitrogen compounds that it decays and microorganism is easy to propagate due to its soft tissue. Accordingly, the shelf life after harvest of mushroom is short. Mushroom is distributed in the form of live or dried product. Because mushroom is used as a side dish or a flavoring, it plays a role in providing elementary nutrients.
Recently, mushroom has been known to an effective material for inhibiting against cancer and variability, for dropping the formation of lipid in serum, for enhancing immunity to diseases, for inhibiting aging, and for preventing adult diseases. So far, the use of mushroom has been expanded into medicinal field. As Such medicinal mushrooms, Ganderma lucidum, Lentinus edodes, Pleurotus osteratus, Elfvingia applanata, agaricus, Auricularia auricula and Umbilicaria esculenta have been expected. In particular, it is reported that polysaccharide protein complex included in Ganderma lucidum extract exhibits the inhibition of the proliferation of cancer cell, treatment of essential hypertension, inhibition of the formation of peroxidized lipid, etc. Also, Lentinus edodes is well known to have anticancer property, dropping effect against cholesterol tonicity, diuresis, and treatment of hypertension, nephritis, asthma, gastric ulcer, etc. and its extract is reported to have effects for dropping lipid in serum and liver and for inhibiting the liver damage. Also, the polysaccharide extract from Pleurotus osteratus were reported to have a dropping effect of cholesterol in serum and an inhibiting effect against liver injuries caused by carbon tetrachloride. Furthermore, an extract obtained from fruit bodies and mycelia of Pleurotus osteratus was reported to have an antioxidative effect.
Lactic acid bacterium is a bacterium that produces lactic acid using a carbohydrate such as glucose and lactose, and has been used in fermented milk and cheese from 3,000 B.C. Because of the fact that the milk fermented by lactic acid bacteria inhibits the growth of deleterious bacteria in digestive organs and prevents human aging, lactic acid bacteria fermented milk has been sold as goods worldwide to date. Many beneficial effects of lactic acid bacteria to human health have steadily been studied.
Such effects of lactic acid bacteria include an intestinal regulation (that is, prevention against diarrhea and constipation), suppression against the proliferation of intestinal cancers and aging by inhibiting the growth of deleterious bacteria, promotion of the growth by the formation of vitamins, prevention of adult diseases by controlling cholesterol, reinforcement of immunity, etc.
As typical examples of lactic acid bacteria are included Streptococcus, Pediococcus, Leuconostoc, lactic acid bacillus, vipidus, etc. Lactic acid bacteria are found in the natural world, e.g., digestive tracts of human and animals and almost all of vegetables. Bulgaria bacteria, yogurt bacteria and thermophilus bacteria have been used in the production of yogurt. Yogurt bacteria, casei bacteria and acidophilus bacteria used in the production of beverages containing lactic acid bacteria. Casei bacteria and milk Streptococcus has been used in the production of cheese. Milk Streptococcus has been used in the production of fermented butter. Each specific lactic acid bacterium has been used in the manufacturing processes of different kinds of food.
Lactic acid bacteria inhabit in the intestinal epithelial cell and do their metabolisms. Lactic acid bacteria secrete lactic acid, (lower) fatty acids, bacteriocin, H2O2, etc, so as to inhibit the growth of deleterious bacteria and to drop the formation of cholesterol by HMG (Hydroxy Methyl Glutaric), Orotic Acid, Uric Acid, etc, which are formed by the fermentation of lactic acid bacteria. Particularly, Lactobacillus acidophilous directly decomposes cholesterol. Lactic acid bacteria activate the microphage detecting bacillus in immune system, thereby detecting the appearance of bacteria and virus, inhibiting the proliferation of cancer cell due to lymphocytic division, increasing the production of 1 g A, an antibody in blood, and promoting the production of γ-interferon. Such series of functions improve the immunity, increase nutritional values of food, inhibit the endogenous infection, inhibit the formation of intestinal carcinogens, and derive the death of deleterious bacteria.
Recent changes of diet lead to the high possibilities of diseases in cerebrovascular system, diseases in circulatory system such as heart diseases, hypertension, hyperlipidemia and arteriosclerosis, and malignant tumors. Such chronic regressive diseases are associated with the disorder of lipid metabolism in a living body. Recently, physiologically active materials to improve human health has vigorously been searched and studied, and as a result, natural ingredients effective against lipid and oxidization have been found and reported. Among them, to edible and medicinal mushrooms have been paid attention as antioxidative materials.
The formation of free radical due to oxidative stress in a living body can peroxidate the biomembrane lipid and the increased peroxidized lipid can do damage to tissues and organs, resulting in metabolism disorder. Therefore, physiologically active matters capable of inhibiting the oxidative damages due to the formation of free radical in a living body are expected to contribute in lowering the occurrence of diseases in circulatory system and chronic diseases such as cancer.
Further, recent improvement of diet and changes of life style lead to fatness due to intake of high-caloric food and shortage of moderate exercise. The advance of industry and complex relationship in society provided the causes of stress. And the development of medicine has prolonged the span of life. These factors are causes of various diseases, particularly diabetes that is a cause of chronic vascular diseases, and increases the rate of death.
Diabetes mellitus is a disease characterized by inadequate secretion of insulin in pancreas or disorder of insulin receptor in each tissue and by high level of blood sugar. Diabetes mellitus is classified into insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (Type 1 Diabetes mellitus) and non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (Type 2 diabetes mellitus). Insulin dependent diabetes mellitus is occurred when pancreas β-cell secreting insulin due to disorder in immune system is destroyed, and non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus is occurred by disorders in insulin receptor such as muscular cell due to heredity and fatness.
Recent studies for searching various physiologically active materials such as tea tree leaves, coix and mulberry leaves having effects for dropping the blood sugar level have continuously been progressed. But, these studies have mainly been concentrated on the treatment of type 1 diabetes mellitus.
According to the statistical data, the number of patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus of the two types is on an increasing trend yearly and, in Korea, 95% of patients with the diabetes mellitus fall on type 2 diabetes mellitus. Agents for dropping blood sugar level are administered orally to patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus together with dietary treatment. To this end, acarbose and voglibose are administered to patients for dropping the blood sugar level after meals, but they are sold at high prices.
To overcome these disadvantages, studies for dropping the blood sugar level using commercially available and edible food or various naturally originating physiologically active materials have been progressed. Korean Pat. No. 165,939 discloses a composition for dropping blood sugar level containing Chinese matrimony extract and a method for preparing the same. Korean Pat. No. 195,886 discloses pharmaceutical composition for treating diabetes mellitus containing Crdyceps spp, bezoar. Chinese matrimony, kudzu root, etc, However, the formulations for treating diabetes mellitus disclosed in said patents are not suitable in their taste, flavor and gustatoriness, and their preparing processes are very complicated.
Therefore, needs for a food composition effective for treating type 2 diabetes mellitus and a formulation suitable in taste, flavor and gustatoriness have been existed in this field.
As described above, mushroom and lactic acid bacteria are used as materials for health food, but synergistic effects thereof are not known yet.